The Academy/Development squads watch thread 2024/25

[ZacNaloen]

No contact directly with him from the club, viera had a conversation with m.keown and was complementary though.

Keown writes a column for the mail...

[winchester_royal]

Why take £2m? Why not keep him for a few seasons and sell for £5m+? I never understand this logic.

Because there's no guarantee he'll become that good a player. Basically depends on how likely we think it is that he'll become a player capable of demanding that type of fee. That will determine our value.

Apparently he is already capable of commanding such a fee.
The club have seen plenty of players develop over the years and have so far given every impression that they believe Kuhl will go on to have a great future.

Depends where that value is coming from. The £2m is for potential, not actual ability. If the club think he's got a good chance of being worth 8 figures then they absolutely should not sell. If however they think he only has a 20% chance of being worth 5m or so then they probably should.

As much as I like Kuhl, and think he'll make an excellent Reading captain one day, I do think the 2m is an inflated price (because it's the mail, and it's city) and if it's genuinely on the table it will take a very brave chairman to say no. Like I say, Kuhl is a serious prospect, but I've seen better teenagers around this year who would genuinely be worth that type of money (Rossiter, Roberts etc) and I don't think our Aaron is quite in their league.

I'd be more worried about losing Tanner personally...

[ZacNaloen]

He's local and really wants to play for Reading, and his contract is until 2016. Can't see him leaving before playing at least a season for us. I hope.

This rumour probably came from keown who writes a column for the mail off the back of a conversation he had with viera.

[3points]

Sell him for 2m and then get him loaned back for a couple of seasons. Best of both worlds?

[ZacNaloen]

What if he's worth more than 2 million after 2 years?

If city are looking at him you have to be thinking future England international.

[P!ssed Off]

Because there's no guarantee he'll become that good a player. Basically depends on how likely we think it is that he'll become a player capable of demanding that type of fee. That will determine our value.

Apparently he is already capable of commanding such a fee.
The club have seen plenty of players develop over the years and have so far given every impression that they believe Kuhl will go on to have a great future.

Depends where that value is coming from. The £2m is for potential, not actual ability. If the club think he's got a good chance of being worth 8 figures then they absolutely should not sell. If however they think he only has a 20% chance of being worth 5m or so then they probably should.

As much as I like Kuhl, and think he'll make an excellent Reading captain one day, I do think the 2m is an inflated price (because it's the mail, and it's city) and if it's genuinely on the table it will take a very brave chairman to say no. Like I say, Kuhl is a serious prospect, but I've seen better teenagers around this year who would genuinely be worth that type of money (Rossiter, Roberts etc) and I don't think our Aaron is quite in their league.

I'd be more worried about losing Tanner personally...

Kuhl had Roberts in his pocket for the 2nd half of the 2nd leg.
And that pass in the 1st leg.

Sure, give Tanner due credit for being the lynch pin of the U21's success.
But how else would you explain U18s success without looking largely at Kuhl.
The majority of the U18s team look like they have great potential but Kuhl is by far the best of the lot.

"think he'll make an excellent Reading captain one day" but not worth £2 more than million. Christ this club must be in free fall.

Anyway, the price tag of Roberts and the players at his ability will be miles north of £2 million.

[3points]

What if he's worth more than 2 million after 2 years?

If city are looking at him you have to be thinking future England international.

This may be the case, but is the risk the club will be taking. At the end of the day, the coaching staff know him better than any of us. At 18, he hasn't even made the first team squad yet on a matchday. If he is Luke Shaw-esque or Raheem Sterling, then he'd be breaking through already.

You just need to look at the huge sums tht Arsenal, Chelsea, etc pay for U18 players who disappear without ever really "making it". I read a good article about the Chelsea v Arsenal U21 cup final teams of 2010. Virtually no-one is playing in the Prem, Serie A, La Liga or Bundesliga

[ZacNaloen]

Reading FC ‏@ReadingFC 3m
More great Academy news, U14s off to Wembley in Nike Trophy final, they beat Man U, Arsenal etc at St George's Park!

[P!ssed Off]

What if he's worth more than 2 million after 2 years?

If city are looking at him you have to be thinking future England international.

This may be the case, but is the risk the club will be taking. At the end of the day, the coaching staff know him better than any of us. At 18, he hasn't even made the first team squad yet on a matchday. If he is Luke Shaw-esque or Raheem Sterling, then he'd be breaking through already.

You just need to look at the huge sums tht Arsenal, Chelsea, etc pay for U18 players who disappear without ever really "making it". I read a good article about the Chelsea v Arsenal U21 cup final teams of 2010. Virtually no-one is playing in the Prem, Serie A, La Liga or Bundesliga

What are you on about?

[3points]

sorry, meant FA Youth Cup of 2010

[winchester_royal]

You may well be right PO..and I hope he stays...but if City do cone up with that type of many I'll be surprised if the club says no in the state that it's in

[P!ssed Off]

sorry, meant FA Youth Cup of 2010

2010 was Chelsea vs Villa.
A few players from Chelsea's team have been reasonably successful.
Most of them 21-22 so probably not quite at their peak anyway.

Liverpool have won it before with virtually no players having successful careers, as discussed on here before.

[3points]

PO - me being lazy when reading the article

But your points are spot on. Here's the list, from the Times, of the Chelsea 2010 team of where the FA Youth Cup winners are now plying their trade:
Sam Walker, 22, Colchester United
Billy Clifford, 21, Royal Antwerp, loan
Rohan Ince, 21, Brighton & Hove Albion
Jeffrey Bruma, 22, PSV Eindhoven,
Aziz Deen-Conteh, 21, Ergotelis
Conor Clifford, 22, Southend United
Jacopo Sala, 22, Verona
Kaby, 22, Maritimo
Gokhan Tore, 22, Besiktas
Josh McEachran, 21, Wigan, loan
Marko Mitrovic, 21, Brescia

[P!ssed Off]

You may well be right PO..and I hope he stays...but if City do cone up with that type of many I'll be surprised if the club says no in the state that it's in

It's wages that are dragging the club down.
The plan will/should be to sell off/give away the bigger earners and keep those who a) have more potential than the 1st team, b) earn less and c) will be worth more in the future.

[Ian Royal]

You may well be right PO..and I hope he stays...but if City do cone up with that type of many I'll be surprised if the club says no in the state that it's in

It's wages that are dragging the club down.
The plan will/should be to sell off/give away the bigger earners and keep those who a) have more potential than the 1st team, b) earn less and c) will be worth more in the future.

The plan will obviously be that. But £2m pays two people £15k for a year, or one person £30k for a year. You can't make other clubs buy people and sometimes you have to take the offers you get, not the offers you want.

[P!ssed Off]

You may well be right PO..and I hope he stays...but if City do cone up with that type of many I'll be surprised if the club says no in the state that it's in

It's wages that are dragging the club down.
The plan will/should be to sell off/give away the bigger earners and keep those who a) have more potential than the 1st team, b) earn less and c) will be worth more in the future.

The plan will obviously be that. But £2m pays two people £15k for a year, or one person £30k for a year. You can't make other clubs buy people and sometimes you have to take the offers you get, not the offers you want.

1st team players with 1 year left on contract:
Federici, McCarthy, Gunter, Kelly, Cummings, Pearce, Drenthe, Guthrie, Karacan, McCleary, Le Fondre.

No doubt the club will cash in on who they can this Summer. Next Summer most of what's left will move on.
In what sort of position would we be in if we cashed in on the youth as well?

1st team's given me nothing but grief all season. The Academy has been this rubbish season's saving grace. If we asset strip that then I'll probably be off as well.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Sparta wrote: And so it begins...

Aaron Kuhl wanted by Man City as Pellegrini lines up Reading youngster -http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba%20...%20gster.html

I heard a rumour that Man City were sniffing around a Reading youngster about four months ago but it was not Kuhl.

[Tilehurstsouthbank]

PO - me being lazy when reading the article

But your points are spot on. Here's the list, from the Times, of the Chelsea 2010 team of where the FA Youth Cup winners are now plying their trade:
Sam Walker, 22, Colchester United
Billy Clifford, 21, Royal Antwerp, loan
Rohan Ince, 21, Brighton & Hove Albion
Jeffrey Bruma, 22, PSV Eindhoven,
Aziz Deen-Conteh, 21, Ergotelis
Conor Clifford, 22, Southend United
Jacopo Sala, 22, Verona
Kaby, 22, Maritimo
Gokhan Tore, 22, Besiktas
Josh McEachran, 21, Wigan, loan
Marko Mitrovic, 21, Brescia

I get the point people are making about youngsters not making it at the top level for their respective clubs or others, but we're currently playing second tier football and are almost certain to be for at least another season. Surely any of our youngsters with genuine ability should break through given this scenario?

[glass half full]

Reading FC ‏@ReadingFC 3m
More great Academy news, U14s off to Wembley in Nike Trophy final, they beat Man U, Arsenal etc at St George's Park!

What date is this?

[ZacNaloen]

Not a clue, ReadingFC seem to have broken their website and my googlefu is failing me